Ableton Live

Since it’s introduction in 1999, Ableton Live has been a very popular DAW and for good reason. You’ve got the standard multi-track recording (an unlimited number of audio/MIDI tracks for songs) and cut/paste/splice features, but what’s especially great about this software is the seamless MIDI sequencing software and hardware. We’ve had so many fusses with our MIDI controllers getting mapped to our sounds through the DAW (back when we used Acid in 2005-2010), but ever since the switch to Ableton it’s been extremely headache-free. Another huge plus is the included sound packages included. Although this really depends on your preferences and whether or not you have your gear and sounds up to speed, it comes with 23 sound libraries (about 50GB of sounds), so you can make music out-of-the-box.

To finish off our description for the beloved Ableton, this thing is the absolute best music software for performing live. We’ve experienced very few glitches (the biggest fear of performers…it can make or break a set). What’s even better is that Ableton has paired up with some brands to create gear specifically for the program, often matching interfaces with the software for easier pairing and remembering of sounds. Read our best MIDI controller for Ableton to see what we’re talking about.

                                                   Recommended level: Medium to expert

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